PS 2267 
.fl37 D4 
1894 
Copy 1 



I A DRAMATIZATION OF 

r 

* LONGFELLOW'S 

:HI AWATHA 



A Spectacular Drama in Six Acts. 



Delineating the Characteristics and Customs 



THE NATIVE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN. 



/ 



Re-v-ritlen, Revised, Arranged and Dramatized 
By j^/L. DE vine. 



1 



Entered According to Act of Congress in the Year 1894 

By A. L. DE VINE. 

In the Offiice of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



" To ye whose hearts are fresh and simple 
Who have faith in God and Nature, 
Who believe that in all ages 
Every human heart is human, 
That in even savage bosoms 
There are longings, yearnings, strivings 
For the good they comprehend not, 
That the feeble hands and helpless. 
Groping blindly in the darkness, 
Touch God's right hand in that darkness 
And are lifted up and strengthened, 'f 

IS SUBMITTED this portrayal of the primitive life 
•*' of the American Indians in their native forest 
home. Fully realizing how rapidly the race is be- 
.coming extinct before the onward march of civiliz- 
ing influences, and how little the people of this and 
other countries really know of such customs, dress, 
and peculiarities, it is believed this spectacular drama 
will be found historical, an educator to the young and 
interesting to alt.. In thus depicting the higher and 
better life of the Indian race, their mode of living, 
dress, pastimes, feats of skill, dances, wooings, wed- 
ding feasts, festivities, death scenes and legends, the 
author has adhered to the original language of the 
poem as closely as is consistent with a faithful dra- 
matization thereof. 

This is the first and only known drama of 
this kind or character in existence, and no other sub- 
ject, throughout the wide and varied field of poetry, ' 
offers like opportunities to the facile pen of the skilled 
playwright. 



SYNOPSIS OF SCENES AND INCLDENTS. 



ACT I. The Peace Pipe. Gitche Manitou (Gre| 
Spirit) descends from Heaven and admonishes the trihq 
to cease warfare and bloodshed — Indians discard weapor 
and war paint — Gitche Manitou promises to send Hiawa^ 
tha as a guide — Fashions a Peace Pipe — Sets fire to tl 
forest and vanishes in smoke. 

ACT II. Hiawatha's Childhood. Tribe of Ojil^^ 
ways —Hiawatha a babe in Indian cradle — Nokomi 
swinging cradle — Indian lullaby. 

ACT III. Hiawatha's Wooing. Scene 1 — Hiaw^ 
tha grown to manhood — Desires to wed Minnehaha, a D^ 
kotah maiden — Discussion — Departs on journey — Nok? 
mis sorrowing. Scene 2— Hiawatha in forest — Shoots 
deer — Shoulders it. Scene 3 — Tribe of Dakotahs — MinntI 
haha Falls — Wigwam of Arrowmaker — Hiawatha's arrive 
and welcome — Wooing of Minnehaha— Departure of Hiaj 
watha and Minnehalia — Climbing of Falls — Arrowmaker' 
despondency — Tableaux. 

ACT IV. Wedding Feast. Forest — Ojibway vilj 
lage — Arrival of Hiawatha and Minnehaha — Welcome- 
Festivities — Feasts, songs, feats of skill, games, dancing] 
and specialties — Tableaux. 

ACT V. Fever, Famine and Minnehaha's Death^ 
Winter — Tepee of Nokomis — Starvation — Minnehaha begs 
for food — Enter Famine and Fever — Hiawatha huntin/" 
food — Disheartened — Appeal to Great Spirit — Minnehaha' 
sufferings and death — Lamentations — Hiawatha's return- 
Grief — Indian funeral — Tableaux. j 

ACT VI. Hiawatha's Departure. Summer — Inf^ 
dian village — Canoe approaches from distance containing 
Minnehaha as angel — Music — Colored lights — Indians as^ 
tonishment — Hiawatha awaits her coming — Joins her— ^ 
Hiawatha's farewell — Canoe disappears —Tableaux. 



M 



HIAWATHA" 



DEAMATIS PERSONvE. 

Gitche Manito; the Indian Great Spirit and Fatiier of all 

Nations. 
Hiawatha, the Prophet of Peace, of the tribe of Ojibways, 

sent to guide the Indian nations. 
Ancient Arrow-maker; Minnehaha's Father. 
Chibiabos; the Singer. 
Pau-Puk-Keewis; the Dancer. 
Bukadawin; Famine. 
Ahkosewin; Fever. 

Minnehaha; Hiawatha's Bride, a Dakota Maiden. 
Old Nokomis; Hiawatha's Grand-mother. 
Miscellaneous Indian Braves. 
Miscellaneous Indian Women. 



SYNOPSIS. 



Act 1st. ...--. The Peace Pipe. 

^ Act 2nd. - - - - - Hiawatha's Childhood. 

"l Scene 1st. Hiawatha's Discussion 

Act 3rd. Hiawatha's '■ with Nokomis and Departure. 

Wooing. I Scene 2nd. Hiawatha's Journey. 

J Scene 3rd. Wooing of Minnehaha. 

, f .Home of Arrow-maker, ) 

I. View of Minneliaha Falls. | 

Act 4th. Wedding Feast. 

Act 5th. - Fever and Famine and Minnehaha's Death. 
Act 6th. Hiawatha's Reunion with Minnehal)aand Departure. 



HIAWATHA. 



ACT I. 

THE PEACE PIPE. . ^ 

Scenery: 

Description as nearly as possible to folow description accord- 
ing to thepoem. In background, high mountains. In fore- 
ground, lower hills, ivith forest trees and Indian tents inw 
the distance: GITCHE MANITO; The great Spirit and . 
FATHER of all NATIONS descends from the clouds 
encircled in a flood of bright lights of various colors;^ 
strains of soft sweet Music, as from a distance, accompany- 
ing his descent as though from Heaven to Earth or to 
the top of the mountain. The Indian representatives frcm"^ 
all Nations in their peculiar distinct dress of the several 
different tribes, grouped here and there among the trees ^ 
and rocks are attracted by the smoke signal and are then 
seen coming from all directions in full Indian war paint 
and costume; ivhen signaled to by GITCHE MANIT0,-4 
the Great Spirit, as per the following poem: 

Act and Description of Gitche Manito: \ 

On the Mountains of the Prairie, 

On the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry, \ 

Gitche Manito, the Mighty, ! 

He the Master of Life DK.SCEN DING, 

On the red craigs of tlie quarry * 

Stood erect, and called the Nations, 

Called the tribes of men together. 

From his footpriats flowed a river, H 

Leaped into the light of morning. 

O'er the precipice plunging downward 

Gleamed like Ishkoodah, the comet. < 

And the Spirit, stooping earthward, 

"With his linger on th« meadow 

Traced a winding pathway for it, 

Havinff to it,. 



HIAWATHA. 

Gitche Maniio: 

Run in this way! 

From the red stone of the quarry 
With his hand he broke a fragment, 
Moulded it into a pipe-head, 
Shaped and fashioned it with figures; 
From the margin of the river 
Took a long reed for a pipe-stem, 
With its dark green leaves upon it; 
Filled the pipe with bark of willow, 
With the bark of the red willow; 
Breathed upon the neighboring forest. 
Made its great bows chafe together, 
Till in flame they burst and kindled; 
And erect upon themountains 
Gitche Manito. the Mighty, 
Smoked the calumet, the Peace -Pipe, 
Asa signal to the nations. 

And the smoke rose slowly, slowly. 
Through the tranquil air of morning, 
First a single line of darkness, 

From the vale of Tawasenthena, — 
From the Valley of Wyoming 
From the groves of Tuscaloosa, 
From the far-off Rocky Mountains, 
From the Northern lakes and rivers. 

Act, Indians: 

All the tribes beheld the signal, 
Saw the distant smoke ascending, 
The Pukwana of the Peacc-Pipe. 

Indian Warriors {to each other ^ pointing). 

Behold it, the Pukwtina! 
By this signal from afar off, 
Bending like a wand of willow. 
Waving like a hand that beckons, 
Gitche Manito, the Mighty, 
Calls the tribes of men together, 
Calls the warriors to his council! 



4 HIAWATHA. 

Act of Indian Tribes: 

Down the rivers o'er the prairies, 
Came the wari-irs of the nations, 
All the wariors drawn together 
By the signal of the Peace-Pipe 
To the Mountains of the Piairie, 
To the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry. 

And they stood there on the meadow, 
With their weapons and their war-gear. 
Painted like the leaves of Autumn, 
Painted like the sky of morning. 
Wildly glaring at each other; 
In their faces stern defiance, 
In their hearts the fends of ages. 
The hereditary hatred 
The ancestral thirst of vengeance. 

Act, Gitcke Manifo: 

Gitche Manito, the mighty, 
The Creator of the nations. 
Looked upon them with compassion, 
With paternal love and pity; 
Over them he stretched his right hand. 

Gitche Manito: 

my children; my poor children! 
Listen to the words of wisdom, 
Listen to the words of warning! 
From the lips of the jrreut Spirit, 
From the Master of life, who made yoiil 

1 have given yon lands to hunt in, 
I have given you streams to tish in, 
I have given you hear and bison, 

I have given you n)e and reindeer, 
I have given you brant and beaver 
Filled the marshes full of wild fowl. 
Filled the rivers full of fishes; 
Why then are you not contented? 



HIAWATHA. 

Why then will you hunt each otiier? 

I am weary of youi- quarrels, 
Weary of your wars and bloodshed, 
Weary of your praters for vengeance, 
All your strength is in yonr union, 
All your danger is in discord; 
Therefore be at peace henceforward. 
And as brothers live together. 
•'1 will send a Prophet to you, 
Hiawatha will I send to you 
A deliverer of the nations, 
Who shall guide you and shall teach you. 
Who shall toil and suffer with you. 
If you listen to his counsels. 
You will multiply and prosper: 
If his warnings pass unheeded 
You will fade away and perish! 

Batlie noAv in the stream before you 
Wasii th(! war-paint from your faces, 
Wasii the bU)()d stains from your fingers, 
J)ury your war clul)s and your weapons, 
Ureak the red stone from this quarry, 
Moukl and make it into Peace-Pipes, 
Take the reeds that grow beside 3"ou, 
Deck them with your brightest feathers, 
Smoke the calumet together, 
And as brothers live henceforward! 



^cf, Indians. 



I hen apon the ground the warriors 
Thi-ew their cloaks and shirts of deer-skin, 
Threw their weapons and their war-gear, 
Leaped into the rushing river, 
Washed the war-paint from Uieir faces. 
Clear above them flowed the water, 
Clear and limped from the footprints 
Of the Master of Life descending; 
Dark below them flowed the water, 



HIAWATHA. 

Soiled and stained with streaks of crimson, 
As if blood were mingled with It. 

From the river came the warriors. 
Cleaned and washed from all their war-paint, 
On the banks their clubs they buried, 
Buried all their warlike weapons. 



Ac^^ Gitche Manito: 



Gitche Manito, the Mighty, 
The Great Spirit, the Creator, . 
Smiled upon his helpless children. 



Act, Indians: 



And in silence all the warriors \ 

Broke the red stone of the quarry , 

Smoothed and formed it into Peace-Pipes, t^ 

Brojce the long reeds by the river. 
Decked them with their brightest feathers. 

A beautiful transformation Scene and tableanx can be given hei^ 
with the grouped of Indians, Bright colored lights, soft Heavenly 
music, and GITCHE MANITO ASCENDING again to 
Heaven in a CLOUD of SMOKE. ■ 

( See following description. ) 



While the Master of Life, ascending 
Through the opening of cloud-curtains, 
Through the doorways of the heaven 
Vanished from before their faces, 
In the sraoke that rolled around him. 



HIAWATHA. 



r 

ACT II. 



HIAWATHA'S CHILDHOOD. 



Scenery: 



A short scene or acting tableaux, can be given here, the scenery to 
follow the description in the poem, HI A WATHA, a baby, in an 
Indian cradle swung between the trees which is being rocked by old 
NOKOMIS (his grandmother) while she is singing the Lullaby 
song, Little Owlet. (See following description.) 

By the shining Big-Sea- Water, 
Stood the wigwam of Nolcomis. 
Daughter of the Moon, Nolcomis. 
Dark behind it rose the forest, 
Rose the blaclc and gloomy pine-trees, 
Rose the firs with cones upon them; 
Bright before it beat the water. 
Beat the clear and sunny water. 
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water. 
There the wrinkled, old Nokomis 
Nursed the little Hiawatha, 
Rocked him in his linden cradle, 
Bedded soft in moss and ru ahes, 
Safely bound with reindeer sinews; 
Stilled his fretful wail by saying. 

A/^okomis: 

Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee! 

Lulled him into slumber singing, 



HIAWATHA. 



JVokomu Song: 



Ewa-yea! my little owlet! 

Who is this, that lights the wigwam? 

With his great eyes lights the wigwam? 

Ewa-yea! my little owlet! 

Wah-wah-taysee, little fire-fly, 

Little, flitting, white-fire insect, 

Little, dancing, white-fire creature, 

Light us with your little candle, 

Ere upon your bed I lay you 

Ere in sleep you close your eyelids! 



-^-f^r^S-rh^ 



HIAWATHA. 



ACT III. 

HIAWATHAS WOOING, 
TRIBE OF OJIBWAYS. 



A Scene First. Hiawatha's Discussion with Nokomis 
and Departure. 

^cenery : 

► Same as Act II. This i:< supposed to be the TRIBE and land of 

THE OJIB WA YS. Showing the INTERIOR of the TEPEE 
of Old NOKOMIS. HI A WA THA; {tall, straight, of majestic fig- 
ure, commanding aspect, dashing and handsome,) is seen shaping an 
arrow to fit a bow. NOKOMIS; a majestic Indian woman as be - 

t fits HI A WA THA'S grandmother, sits making a robe of deer skin 

or work of like kind. HI A WA THA sits working, thinking, 
pondering. 

^Description of Hiawatha: 

Out of childhood into manhood 
Now bad grown my Hiawatha. 



10 HIA WA THA. 

Skilled in all the craft of hunters, 
Learned in all the lore of old men, 
In all youthful sports and pastimes, 
In manly arts and labors. 

Swift ol foot was Hiawatha; 
He could shoot an arrow from him, 
And run forward with such fleetuess, 
That the arrow fell behind him! 
Strong of arm was Hiawatha; 
He could shoot ten aiTows upward, 
Sho >t them with sue i strength and swif ti 
That the tenth had left the bow-string 
Ere the first to earth had fallen! 

He had mittens, Minjekahwun, 
Magic mittens made of deer-skin; 
When upon his hands he wore them. 
He could smite the rocks asunder 
He could grind them into powder. 

He had moccasins enchanted. 
Magic moccasins of deer-skin: 
When he bound them round his ankles. 
When upon his feet he tied them. 
At each stride a mile he measured! 



Hiawatha; {speaking med/ilative/y): 

As unto the bow the cord is, 
So unto the num is wonum. 
Though she hentls him, sho obeys him, 
Though she (ii'jiws him, yet she foUows, 
Useless each without the otherl 

Nokomis; {in a warning and dissuading voice): 

Wed a maiden of your people, 
Go not eastward, go not westward, 
For a stranger, whom we know not! 
Like a tire upon the hearth-stone 
Is a neighbor's homely daughter, 
Like the starlight or the moonlight 
Is the handsomest of strangers! 



HIAWATHA. 11 

Uawatha; [pursuadingly): 

Dear old Nokoinis, 
Very pleasant is the firelight, 
Bat I like the starlight better, 
Better do I like the moonlight! 



Nokamis; {gravely): 



Bring not here an idle maiden. 
Bring not here a useless woman, 
Hands unskillful, feet unwilling; 
Bring a wife with nimble lingers, 
Heart and hand that move together, 
Feet that run on willing errands! 

Hiawatha, ( Smilling): 

Jn the land of the Dacotahs 
Lives the Arrow maker's daughter, 
Minnehaha, Laughing water. 
Handsomest of all the women. 
I will bring her to your wigwam. 
She shall run up(m your errands, 
Be your starlight, moonlight, firelight. 
Be the sunlight of my people! 

Nokomis, {still dissuading): 

Bring not to my lodge a stranger 
From the land of the Dacotahs! 
Very fi<'rce are the Dacotnh^, 
Often is there war between us. 
There are feuds yet unforgotten, 
Wounds that ache and still may open! 



m HIAWATHA. 

Hiawatha, {laughing): 

For that reason, if no other, 
Would I wed the fair Dacotah, 
That our tribes might be united, 
That old feuds might be forgotten, 
And old wounds be healed forever! 

Durivg this conversation HI A WATHA stops his work and prepareti 
for his journey, OLD NOKOMIS becoming more and more 
earnest and entreating as his preparations proceed: when he goes^ 
she follows and tries to detain him, then watches him out of sight 
and the curtain falls while she stan'ds alone, weeping, desponder 
and sorrowing at the door of her wigwam. ^ 

Description of Hiawatha: 

Dressed for travel, armed for hunting; 

Dressed in deer-skin shirt and leggings, ^ 

Richly wrought with quills and wampum; 

On his head his eagle-feathers. 

Round his waist his belt of wampum, 

In his hand his bow of ash-wood, 

Strung with sinews of the reindeer; 

In his quiver oaken arrows. 

Tipped with jasper, winged with feathers; 

With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 

With his moccasins enchanted. 

Act, Hiawatha-. 



ihCi 

ent \ 



Thus departed Hiawatha 

To the land of the Dacotahs, 

To the land of handsome women; 



Act, Nokomis: 



Homeward weeping went Jf okomis 
Sorrowing for her Hiawatha, 



HIAWATHA. 13 



ACT III. 

Scene Second. Hiawatha's Journey. 

SCENERY. A short scene can be given here^ showing a deep 
forest, also giving a view of Hiawatha upon his journey and 
^ with his how and arrow, shooting the deer which he takes MIN- 

NEHAHA as a gift, and lays at her feet on his arrival. 

^Act, Hiawatha: 

Through the forest deep and lonely, 

Then he journeyed without resting, 
* Till he heard the cataract's laughter, 

Heard the Falls of Minnehaha 

Calling to him through the silence. 
^ Standing, Listening, he murmured, 

Hiawatha'. 

^ Pleasant is the sound! 

Pleasant is the voice that calls me! 

► On the outskirts of the forest, 

iTwixt the shadow and the sunshine, 
Herds of fallow deer were feeding. 
But they saw not Hiawatha; 

Hiawatha {whispering to his bow): 

Fail not! 

iHiawatha {whispering to his arrow)-. 

Swerve not! 
r 

Sent it singing on its errand. 
To the red heart of the roebuck; 
Threw the deer across his shoulder, 
And sped forward without pausing. 



IJf HIAWATHA. 



ACT in. 



"TRIBE OF THE DACOTAS," 
HOME OF THE ARROW MAKER. 



Scene Third. Wooing of Minnehaha. 
Scenery: * 

As perfect cm imitation as possible of the Scenery of and about 
MINNEHAHA FALLS. With the FALLS, also Very Hig^ 
Rocks in the background. In the foreground, at the base of Min- 
nehaha Falls, a wigwam, representing the appearance and interior 
of a wigwam of the DArQTAH TRIBE. MINNEHAHA tf, 
be tall, straight, dashing and handsome. {See- the following Des- 
cription.) 

In the land of the Dacotabs, 
Where the Falls of Minnehaha 

Plash and gleam among the oak-trees, A 

Laugh and leap into the valley. | 

Very spacious was the wigwam, \ 

Made of deer-skin dressed and wbitened, i 

With the Gods of the Dacotahs 
l>rawn and painted on It'* curtains, 

A.nd so tall the doorway, hardly m 

Hiawatha stooped to enter. 
Hardly touched his ea?le feathers 
As he entered at the doorway. • 



Act, ArrozV'tnaker: 



At the doorway of his wigwam 
Sat the ancient Arrow-maker, 
In the laud of the Dacotahs, 
Making arrow-heads of jasper, 
Arrow-heads of chalcedony. 



HIAWATHA. 15 



Ascription of Minnehaha'. 



At his side in all her beauty, 
Sat the lovely Minnehaha, 
Sat his daughter, Laughing water 
Plaiting mats of flags and rushes; 
Feet as rapid as the river, 
Tresses flowing like the water, 
And as musical a laughter; 
And he named her from the river, 
From the water-fall he named her, 
Minnehaha, Laughing Water 



^cff Minnehaha: 



She was thinking of a hunter. 
From another tribe and country. 
Young and tall and very handsome. 
On the mat her hands lay idle. 
And her eyes were very dreamy. 

Through her thoughts she heard a foot- 
[step,] 
Heard a rustling in the branches. 



^ct, Hiawatha: 



[ 



And with glowing cheek and forehead. 
With the deer upon his shoulders. 
Suddenly from out the woodlands 
Hiawatha stood before them. 



\cL Arrow=maker. 



■ straight the ancient Arrow -maker 

% Looked up gravely from his labor, 

'r Laid aside the unfinished arrow, 

, Bade him enter at the doorway, 

kr Saying, as he rose to meet him, 

Ari'ow=maker: 
' Hiawathu, you are welcome! 

\iAct^ Hiawatha: 

At the feet of Laughing Water 
Hiawatha laid his burden, 
Threw the red deer from his shoulders; 



V- 



16 HIAWATHA. 

Act, Minnehaha: 

And the maiden looked up at him, 
Looked up from her mat of rushes, 
Said with gentle look and accent. 

Minnehaha: 

Yon are welcome, Hiawatha! 

Act, Minnehaha: 

Then uprose the Laughing Watpr, 
From the ground fair Minnehaha. 
Laid aside her mat unfinished, 
Brought forth food and set before them. 
Water brought them from the brooklet, 
Gave them food in earthen vessels, 
Gave them drink in bowls of bass-wood, 

The following conversation to he carried on between the ARROW- \ 
MAKER and HIAWATHA ivhile MINNEHAHA brings th^^ 
food etc., and sets before them. 

Hiawatha, (with much expression): 

"Yon know of my wondrous birth and being, 

How I prayed and how I fasted. 

How I li\^ed, and toiled, and suffered, 

That the tribes of men might prosper. 

That I might advance my people!" 

Dear Old Nokomis who has nursed me in my childx 

hood needs a daughter now to help her. 

To the lodge of old Nokorais ^ 

I would bring the moonlight, starlight, firelight. 

Bring the sunshine to my people, j 

Give me Minnehaha, Laughing Water, 

Handsomest of all the women 

In the land of the Dacotahs, 



HIAWATHA. 17 

In the bind of hundsome women. 
There is happiness and plenty 
In the hind of the Ojibways, 
In the pleasant hind and peaceful. 

,^Ac^, Mimiehaha-. 

See the face of Laughing Water, 
Peeping from behind the curtain, 
Hear the rustling of her garments 
From behind the waving curtain, 
Listened while the guest was speaking, 
Listened while her father answered, 
But not once her lips she opened, 
Not a single word she uttered. 
Yes, as in a dream she listened 
^ To the words of Hiawatha. 

^Hiawatha, {witk deep feeling)'. 

After many years of warfare, 
^ Many years of strife and bloodshed, 

There is peace between the Ojibways 
And the tribe of the Dacotahs. 

Hiawatha; In his earnestness rising, speaking slowly, with Great 
Expression, and turning toward Minnehaha. 

"That this peace may last forever, 

And our hands be clasped more closely. 

And our hearts be more united, 
h Give me as my wife this maiden, 

Minnehaha, liaughing Water, 
V Loveliest of Dacotah women!'' 

VAct, Hiawatha: 

Reseats himself, looking expectantly and earnestly at the Arrow- 
maker for his reply. 



18 HIAWATHA. 

Act, AiTOw-makev. 



And the ancient Arrow-maker 
Paused a moment ere he answered, 
Smoked a little while in silence, 
Looked at Hiawatha proudly. 
Fondly looked at Laughing Water, 
Then made answer very gravely: 



Arrow -maker {with deep Jeelingy. 

Yes, if Minnehaha wishes; 

Let your heart speak, Minnehaha. 

AcL Minnehaha: 



And the lovely Laughing Water 
Seemed more lovely, as she stood there. 
Neither willing nor reluctant. 



Acty Minnehaha: 

Turns FIRST to ONE and THEN to the OTHER, hesitates 
thought of leaving her father, goes to him, then turntng, looking\ 
at Hiawatha, hesitates. 

Act, Minnehaha: ^ 

Then, she went to Hiawatha 

Softly took the seat beside him, ^ 

While she said, and blushed to say it, ' 

A 

Minnehaha: 



I will follow you m}'^ husband! 



HIAWATHA. 19 

Wrow-maker: 

Rising, going over and speaking to Hiawatha. 

ou have wooed and won my maiden, 
With your stories of the North-land! 
^appy are you, Hiawatha, 
Having such a wife to love you! 

Arrow-maker; turning, speaking to his daughter-. 

Happy are you. Laughing Water, 
Having such a noble husband! 

Arrow-maker, {to both): 

O my children, 
Love is sunshine, hate is shadow, 

iife is checkered shade and sunshine. 
Rule by love, O Hiawatha! 

'O my children, 

)ay is restless, night is quiet, 

[an imperious, women feeble; 
[Half is hers although she follows 
[Rule by patience. Laughing Water!" 

Act, Hiawatha and Minnehaha: 

From the wigwam he departed, 

Leading with him Laughing Water; 
f Hand in hand they went together, 

Left the old man standing lonely 

At the doorway of his wigwam. 
f 

Arrow-maker, very sorrowfully. 
Fare thee well, O Minnehaha! 



HIAWATHA. 



Act, Arrow-maker: 



i 



And the ancient Arrow-maker 
Turned again unto his labor, 
Sat down by his sunny doorway, 
Murmuring to himself, and saying: 

Arrow-maker^ [meditatively and with much expresL 
sion): 

"Thus it is our daughters leave us 

Those we love, and those Avho love us! 

Just when they have learned to help us, ^ I 

Just when Ave are old and lean upon them, 

Comes a youth with flaunting feathers. 

With his flute of reeds, a stranger -^ 

Wanders piping through the village. 

Beckons to the fairest maiden. 

And she follows where he leads her, 

Leaving father, mother, home, friends, . 

Leaving ALL things, for the Str.-inger. H 

Hiawatha and Minnehaha are to he seen {while Arrow-maker i\ 
thus sitting at the doorway and meditating); first windiyig in 
out among the trees, then climbing the rocks, coming into vieiv, t}\ 
disappearing behind rocks; then again being seen wending th 
way higher and higher upon the, rocks, and ichen the SUMM. 
of the MINNEHAHA FALLSis reached, they are seen, H 
tha, with his arm around Minm haha, pointing to the wigivam 
the valley beloiv. The Old Arrow-maker sees them at th 
time, rises, (shading his eyes with his hand) and looks upivard 
them. HOME SWEET HOME is played behind the scene.<, so] 
and low, with stringed instruments, while tJiey are climbing th 
rocks, and various colored lights are throivn upon the scene, m^ 
ing an effective and beautiful tableaux. 



I 



HIAWATHA. SI 



ACT IV. 

HIAWATHA'S WEDDING FEAST. 

Scenery: 

^ Scene first; saiae as Act III. Lake-shore with forest, with the Tepee 

of Old JSIokomis on the shore of the lake. Many Indians grouped 
here and there with NOKOMIS waiting and watching for the arrival 

^ of HIAWATHA and MINNEHAHA who are seen approach- 

ing from a distance, NOKOMIS and the Indians coming joyously 
forward to welcome them. In this scene are introduced an imita- 
tion of, or, better still, a Genuine Indian Feast; Indian Music; In- 
dian Songs; Sports and Pastimes, and Indian Dances in Native 

jr Costumes by Native Indians— if possible. 



. Description: 



Snmptious was the feast Nokomis 
Made at Hiawatha's wedding; 
All the bowls were made of bass-wood, 
White and polished very smoothly. 
All the spoons of horn of bison, 
Black and polished very smoothly. 

She had sent through all the village 
And the wedding guests assembled, 
Clad in all their richest raiment. 
Robes of fur and belts of wampum. 
Splendid with their paint and plumage. 
Beautiful wiJ;h beads and tassels. 



Act J Nokomis, {seeing Hiawatha and Bride approach- 



With a shout and song of triumbh. 
On the shore stood old Nokomis, 



HIAWATHA. 



Nokomis'. 

We bid you welcome Hiawatha, 
We have waited long your coming, 
Welcome to your home and people. 

rliawathay {leading Jorward Minnehaha)'. 

Dear Old Nokomis, 
A daughter have I brought to you 
From the land of the Dacotahs, 
Minnehaha, Laughing Water, 
Who shall run upon your errands, 
Be the sunlight of my people. 

J^okomiSy to Minnehaha: 

The Objibways welcome the Dacotah maiden, 
You shall be my starlight, moonlight, firelight; 
You shall be the sunlighl of our people. 

Indians'. 

Honor be to Hiawatha. 

Act, Indians: 

And the people of the vlUage 
Welcomed them with songs anil dances, 
Made a joyous feast, and shouted: 



Description of Feast'. 



First they ate the sturgeon, Nahma, 
And the pike, the Maskenoza, 
Caught and cooked by old Nokomis; 
Then on pemican they feasted, 
Pemican and buffalo marrow, 
Haunch of deer and hump of bison. 
Yellow cakes of the Mondamin, 
And the wild rice of the river. 



HIAWATHA. 23 

let, Hiawatha^ Minnehaha and Nokomis: 

But the gracious Hiawatha, 
Aud the lovely Laughing Water, 
And the careful old Nokomis, 
Tasted not the food before them, 
Only waited on the others, 
-» Only served their guests in silence. 

'Met, Nokomis: 

I And when all the guests had finished. 

Old Nokomis, brisk and busy. 

From an ample pouch of otter. 

Pilled the red stone pipes for smoking 
^ With tobacco from the South-land, 

Then she said to Chibiabos, 

To the friend of Hiawatha, 
^ To the sweetest of all singers, 

To the best of all musicians. 



Nokomis: 



Sing to us, O Chibiabos! 
Songs of love and songs of longing, 
That the feast may be more joyous, 
That the time may pass more gayly, 
; And our guests be more contented! 

Act, Chibiabos: 



And the gentle Chibiabos 
Sang in accents sweet and tender, 
Sang in tones of deep emotion, 
Songs of love and songs oflonging; 
Looking still at Hiawatha, 
Looking at fair Laughing Water, 
Sang he softly, sang in this wise: 



U HIAWATHA. 

Chibiabos Song: 

Onaway! Awake, beloved! 
Thou the wild-liovver of the forest! 
Thou the wild-bird of the prairie! 
Thou with eyes so soft and fawn -like! 

If thou only lookest at me, 
I am happy, I am happy. 
As the lilies of the prairie, 
When, they feel the d^w upon them! 

Sweet thy breath is as the fragrance 
Of the wild-flowers in the morning, 
As their fragrance is at evening. 
In the Moon when leaves are falling. 

Does not all the blood within me 
Leap to meet thee, leap to meet thee. 
As the springs to meet the sunshine, 
In the Moon when nights are brightest? 

Onaway! my heart sings to thee. 
Sings with joy Avhen thou art near me, 
As the sighing, singing branches 
In the pleasant Moon of Strawberries. 

When thou art not. pleased, beloved, 
Then my heart is sad and darkened, 
As the shining river darkens. 
When the clouds drop shadows on it! 

When thou smilest, my beloved. 
Then my troubled heart is brightened, 
As in sunshine gleam the ripples 
That the cold wind makes in rivers. 

Smiles the earth, and smiles the waters, 
Smile the cloudless skies above us. 
But I lose the way of smiling 
When thou art no longer near me! 

I myself, myself, behold me! 



E HIAWATHA. 25 

Blood of ray beating hearty behold me! 
O awake, awake, beloved! 
I Onaway! aAvake, beloved! 

f/okomts, to (Bau-(Puk-Keewis: 

O Pan Puk-Keewis, 
*" Dance for us your merry dances, 

Dance the Beggar's Dance to please us, 
^ That the feast may be more joyous, 

That the time may pass more gayly, 

And our guests be more contented! 

Act, Pau= Puk= Keewis'. 

Then the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis. 
^ He the Idle Yenadizze, 

He the merry mischief-maker, 
Whom the people called the Storm- Fool, 
^ Rose among- the guests assembled. 

Skilled was ho in sports and pastimes. 
In the game of quoits and ball play, 
^ In all games of skill and hazard. 

He was dressed in shirt of doe-skin, 
White and .«oft, and fringed with ermine, 
All inwrought with beads of wampum; 
^ He was dressed in deer-skin leggins, 

Fringed with hedgehog quills and ermine, 
And In moccasins df buckskin, 

! Thick with quills and beads embroidered. 

On his head were plumes of swan's down. 
On his heels were tails of foxes. 
In one hand a fan of feathers, 
And a pipe was in the other. 
Barred with streaks of red and yellow, 
►^ Streaks of blue and bright vermilion, 

Shone the face of Pau-Puk-Keewis. 
From his forehead fell his tresses, 
y Smooth, and parted like a woman's. 

Shining bright with oil, and plaited, 
Hung with braids of scented grasses, 
k As among the guests assembled. 

To the sound < f flutes and pinging. 
To the sound of drums and voices, 
Rose the handsome Pau-Puk-KeewiSv 
And began his mystic dances. 

H 



HIAWATHA. 



Dance, Fau- Ptik-Keewis: 



First he danced a solemn measure, 
"Very slow in step and gesture, 
In and out among the pine-trees, 
Through the shadows and the sunshine, 
Treading softly like a pantlier. 
Then more swiftly and still swifter, 
Whirling, spinning round in circles. 
Leaping o'er the guests assembled, 
Eddying round and round the wigwam, 
Till the leaves went whirling with him. 
Till the dust and wind together 
Swept in eddies round about him. 

Then along the sandy margin 
Of the lake, the Big-Sea- Water. 
On he sped with frenzied gestures. 
Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it 
Wildly in the air around him; 
Till the wind became a whirlwind. 
Till the sand was blown and sifted 
Like great snowdrifts o'er the landscape, 
Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo! 

Thus the merry F'au-Puk-Keewls 
Danced his Beggar's Dance to please them, 
And, returning, sat down laughing 
There among the guests assembled. 
Sat and fanned himself serenely 
With his fan of turkey-feathers. 



Act, Chibiabos: 



Then again sang Chibiabos, 
Sang a song of love and longing. 
In those accents sweet and tender, 
In those tones of pensive sadness. 
Sang a maiden's lamentation 
For her lover, her Algonquin. 



Song: 



The original of this fong may be found in Oneata, p. 15. 

When I think of my beloved, 
Ah rae! think of my beloved, 
When my heart is thinking of him, 



IILiWATIIA. <27 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 
"Ah me! when I parted from him, 

Round my neck he hung the wampum. 

As a pledge, the snow-white wampum, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 
"1 will go with you he whispered. 

Ah me! to your native country; 

Let me go with you, he whispered, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin ! 
"Far away, away, I answered. 

Very far away, I answered. 

Ah me! is my native country, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 
"When I looked back to behold him. 

Where we parted, to behold him, 

After me he still was gazing, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 
"By the tree he still was standing, 

By the fallen tree was standing. 

That had dropped into the water, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 
"When I think of my beloved. 

Ah me! think of my beloved. 

When my heart is thinking of him, 

O my sweetheart, my Algonquin! 

Indian pastimes, games, dances and specialties should be here 
introduced. If possible a national Indian dance by a num- 
ber of Indians The Harvest Dance, Ghost Dance or a War 
Dance, with colored lights thrown upon the scene and soft music 
behind scenes, forming tableaux during dances and before the 
curtain falls. 

CURTAIN. 



28 HIAWATHA, 

ACT y. 
FAMINE, FEVER AND MINNEHAHA'S BEAT] 

Scenery: 

Forest and Lake, same as Act IV, but WINTER. Interior 
Nokomis' Tepee. Present, Hiawatha, Nokomis and Minnehaha' 
all of whose appearance indicate starvation and great gufering. 
Fever and Famine, the ghosts, two tall, slim girls, with whitt^, i 
haggard faces, dressed entirely in black drapery with no lines 
in break effect. - 

Hiawatha: {with great depth of feeU7ig.) 

O this long and dreary Winter ^' 

O this cold and cruel Winter! 

Ever thicker, thicker, thicker '^ 

Grows the ice on lake and river, 

Ever deeper, deeper, deeper -f 

Falls the snow o'er all the landscape. 

Falls the covering snow, and drifting ■\\ 

Through the forest, round the village, 

Hardly from his buried wigwam ^ 

Can the hunter force a passage; 1 

With my mittens and my snoAV-shoes * 

Vainly walked I through the forest, 
Sought for bird or beast and found none, *^ 

Saw no track of deer or rabbit. 
In the snow beheld no footprints, •] 

In the ghastly, gleaming forest 
Fell, and could not rise from weakness, j 

Almost perished there from cold and hunger. 



IIlAWATIfA. 29 

O the famine aad the fever! 
O the wasting of the famine! 
O the blasting of the fever! 
O the wailing of the children! 
O the anguish of the women! 

All the earth is sick and famished; 
Hungry is the air around them, 
Hungry is the sky above them, 
And the hungry stars in heaven 
Like the eyes of wolves glare at them! 

Minnehaha^ (turning to Hiawatha, reaching out her 
hands am.d piteously heseeching of him:) 

Give me food, O Hiawatha, 
Give us food, for we are starving, 
Give us food, or we must perish. 

Act, Fever and Fainine. 

Then the curtain ol the doorway 
From without was slowly lifted; 
And tw ) women entered softly, 
Passed the doorway uninvited, 
Without word of salutation. 
Without sign of recognition, 
Sat down In the farthest cormer, 
Crouching low among the shadows. 
Very pale and haggard were they, 
As they sat there sad and silent, 
Trembling, cowering.with the shadows. 
Sobbing, weeping, wailing. 



> Minnehaha, Softly: 

They are famished; 

Let them do vvhat best delights them; 

Let them eat, for they are famished. 



30 HIAWATHA. 

Hia/watha^ m,it»ingly to himself: 

Who are they? 

What strange guests has Minneh.iha? 

Hiawatha., to Fev»r and Famine: 

I bid you welcome 

To my lodge, to my fireside; 

O guests! why is it 
That your liearts are so afflicted, 
That you sob so in the sunlight? 
Has perchance the old Nokomis, 
Has my wife, my Minnehaha, 
Ever wronged or grieved you by unkindness, 
Ever failed in hospitable duties? 

Fever and Famine: 

We are ghosts of the departed, 
Sovds of those who once were with you. 
Hither have we come to try you. 
These are corpses clad in garments, 
These are ghosts that come to haunt you, 
Erom the kingdom of Ponemah, 
From the land of the Hereafter! 
Cries of grief and lamentation 
Reach ug in the Blessed Islands; 
Cries of anouish from the living, 
Calling back their friends departed. 
Sadden us with useless sorroAv. 
Therefore have we come to try you; 
No one knows us, no one heeds us. 



IirAWATIIA. 31 

Wc are but a burden to you, 
And we see that the departed 
f^ Have no place among the living. 
Think of this, O Hiawatha! 
Speak of it to all the people, 
That henceforward and forever 
They no more with lamentations 
Sadden the souls of the departed 
In the Islands of the Blessed. 
Do not lay such heavy burdens 
In the graves of those you bury. 
Farewell, noble Hiawatha! 
We have put you to the trial. 
To the proof have put your patience, 
By the insult of our presence, 
By the outrage of our actions. 
We have found you great and noble, 
Faint not in the greater trial, 
Faint not in the hardest struggle. 

Fever and Famine, with haggard and hollow eyes, turn toward 
and approach Minnehaha, meanwhile Hiawatha, Nokomis 
and Minnehaha trying to ward them off. 

Famine., 

Behold me! 

I am Famine, BukadaAvin! 

Fever., 

Behold me! 

I am Fever, Ahkosewin! 



HIAWATHA, 



Act, Minnehaha, 



And the lovely Minnehaha 
Shuddered as they ooV-rd upon her, 
Shuddered at ihe words they uttered, 
Lay down on her bed in silence, 
Hd her face bat made no answer; 
Lay there trembling, Freezing, bur.iing 
At the looks they cast upon htM-. 
At the fearful wordd iui3j uttered. 

Act, Hiawatha, first i^reixtring for journey. 

Wrapped in furs and armed for hunlipg, 
With his mighty bow of ash-tree, 
With his quiver full of arrows. 
With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 

Forth into the empty forest 
Rushed the maddened Hiawatha; 
In his heart was deadly sorrow. 
In his face a stony firmneis; 
On his brow the sweat of anguish 
Started, but it froze and fell not. 
Into the vast and vacant forest 
O^ his snow shoss strode he forward. 

Scene shifts, showing Hiawatha in a dense forest, with treS 
covered ivltli. snow and ice, hunting food for Minnehaha, be 
coming discouraged, he sits dovn on a log or rock, ponders 
and talks to himself. 

Hiawcctha, despondently, ruminating, 

Lo! how all things fade and perish I 
From the memory of the old men 
Pass away the great traditions, 

On the grave- posts of our fathers 
Are no signs, no figaras painted; 
Who are in those graves we know not, 
Only kno\y the}^ are our fathers, 
Of what kith they are and kindred, 
From what old, ancestral Totem, 



1 

r^\ 

\ 



\ 



JIIA ^YATHA. S3 

Be it Eagle, Bear or Beaver, 
They descended, this we know not, 
Only know they are our fathers. 

Face to face we speak together. 
But we cannot speak when absent, 
Cannot send our voices from us 
To the friends that dwell afar off; 
Cannot send a secret message, 
Bat the bearer learns oar secret. 
May pervert it, may betray it, 
May reveal it unto others. 

'Twas through this forest, dark and gloomy, 
In the balmy days of summer 
That I brought ray bride, Laughing Water, 
From the land of the bi.kotahs, 
Through this forest, bleak and frozen. 
Brought my moonlight, starlight, firelight, 
Brought the sunshine of my people, 
Minnehaha, Laughing Water, 
Handsomest of all the women 
In the land of the Dacotahs, 
In the land of handsome women. 
When she followed me, her husband. 

Buries his head in his hands, then rising, stretching his hands 
tovard Heaven with head uplifted cries aloud with great feeling. 

''Gitche Mam'tou, the Mighty!" 
In this bitter hour of anguish, 
Give your children food, O father! 
Give us food, or we must peris^h! 



3J^ lUAWATHA. 

Give me food fur Minnehaha, 
For my dying Minnehaha! 

Act^ Hiawatha, 

Through the far-resounding forest, 
Through the forest vast and vacar t 
Rang that cry of desolation, i 

But there came no other answer 
Than the echo of his crying, 
Than tlie echo ol the Wjoa.audf . j 

Echo. 

Minnehaha! Minnehalia! Haj Ha! k 

Hiawatha disappears in the forest looking for game. 

Scene changes showing the interior of the tepee where Minnehahb 
lies sick aud dying. Fever sitting at her head, Famine at her 
feet, both stating at her. Old Nokomis sitting at the back, 
of the couch, watching over and caring for her with maternal 
love and pity. 

Minfiehaha, feehly.. 

To Fever and Famine. 
To-morrow 

Is the hist day of my conflict, 
Is the last day of my fasting. 
You will conquer and o'ercome me; 

Taming to Nokomis, patJietically, 
Dear old Nokomis, 
Make a bed for me to lie in, 
Where the rain may fall upon me. 
Where the sun may come and warm me; 
Lay me in the earth, and make it 
Soft and l'"»ose nnd light above me. 



■J 



HIAWATHA. 35 

Let no hand disturb my slumber, 
Only come yourself to watch me, 
'I'm I wake, and start, and quicken, 
Till 1 leap into the sunshine. 
After a silence. 

Ah me! think of my beloved. 
In the bleak and frozen forest 
My heart is thinking of him. 
Another silence. 

Far awa}^, away, 
Very far away, 
Ah me! is my native coimtry. 

Half raising herself and speaking wildly, 

Hark! 1 hear a rushing, 
Hear a roaring and a rushing, 
Hear the Falls of Minnehaha 
Calling to me from a distance! 

NoJcomw.^ soothingly.. 

No, no, my child! 

'Tis only the night- wind in the pine-trees! 

Minnehaha, delii'iotisly, pointing., 

Look! 1 see my father 
Standing lonely at his doorway. 
Beckoning to me from his wigwam 
In the land of the Dakotahs! 

Nokojnis, 

No, no, my child! 



36 IIIA WATIIA, 

'Tis only the smoke, that waves and beckons! 

Minnehaha, wildly, raving^ 

Ah! The eyes of Panguk 
Glare upon mc in the darkness, 
I can feel his icy fingers 
Clasping mine amid the darkness! 

Hiawatha! Hiawatha! ^( 

ShrieHng loudly and falls back dead. i 

Fever and Famine at Minnehaha's death, glide out, Nokom^^ 
changes position taking a seat at her feet then rocking back 
and forth vnils and moans. 

NoJi'omis, 

Wahonowin! Wahonowin! -< 

Would that I had perished for you. 
Would that I were dead as you are! -^ 

Wahonowin! Wahonowin! , 

Ah! why do the living, V 

Lay such heav}/ burdens on us! 
Better were it to go naked ^ 
Better were it to go fasting, 
Than to bear such heavy burdens 
On our long and weary journey! 
O that I were dead! 
O that I were dead, as thou art? 
No more work, and no more weei)ing, 
Wahonowin! Wahonowin! J 

During this scene a low, soft dirge should be played behind the scenes 
Indians are to be seen peeping from behind trees and rocks, some 
after the death coming to look into the ivigwam. 



JIIAWATHA. 37 

/ndian chiefs, wailing and shaking their medicine-pouches 
over the head of Minnehaha. 

t Hi au-ha! 

Way-ha-wa}'^! 
She has gone 

To the land of ghosts and shadows. 
Hi-au-hal 
Waj-ha-way! 

Act, Hiawatha, 

Hiawatha rushed into the wigwam , 

Saw the old Nols omis slowly 

Rocking to and fro and moaning, 

Saw his lovely Minnehaha 

Lying dead and cold before him. 

And his bursting heart within him 

Uttered such a cry of Anguish, 

That the forest moaned and shuddered, 

That the very stars in heaven 

Shook and trembled with his anguish, 

Hiawatha, astounded, shocked, then mournfully. 
Dead out of the empty heaven, 
Dead among the starving people, 
Callhig to Heaven, despairingly, 
Master of Life! 
Must our lives depend on these things? 

Moans, cries: then softly murmurs. 
Ah, showain nemeshin, Nosa! 
Pity, pity me, my father! 

Pathetically beseeching Minnehaha, 

O! my Minnehaha; O, my Laughing Water, 
Do not leave me thus. 



38 UFA WATIIA. 

You were roy moonlight, starlight, firelight 
You were the sunshine of my life, 
Whispermg to her in her slumbers, 
Though you are far from me 
In the land of Sleep and Silence, 
Still the voice of love should reach you! 

Nokomis, sorrowfully, resignedly, 

She is dead, the Laughing Water! 
She the dearest of all creatures! 
She has gone from us forever, 
She has moved a little nearer 
To the Master of all life, 
To the Master of all sunshine! 
She has gone 

To the regions of the home-wind. 
Of the Northwest wind Keewaydin, 
To the Islands of the Blessed, 
To the kingdom of Ponemah, 
To the land of the Hereafter! 

Hiawatha, sitting down, looking lovingly and mournfidly at heil 
meditates, 

Oh! those willing feet, that never 
More will lightly run to meet me, 
Never more will lightly follow. 

Act, Hiawatha, 

Then he sat down, still and speechless 
Ou the bed of Minnehaha 
At the head of Laughing Water, 
As if in a swoon he sat there, 
Speechless, motionless, unconscious. 



1 



UTAWATITA. 39 

After awhile, rising, he goes back of the couch, thus standing, 
looks down upon her, saying with sorrow and deep pathos, 

Fare well! Minnehaha! 
Farewell, O mj^ Laughing Water! 
All my heart is buried with }'0U, 
All my thoughts go onward with you! 
Come not back again to labor, 
Come not back again to suffer, 
Where the Famine and the Fever, 
Wear the heart and waste the body. 
Soon my task will be completed, 
Soon your footsteps I shall follow 
To the Islands of the Blessed, 
To the Kingdom of Ponemah, 
To the Land of the Hereafter! 

A reproduction of an Indian death scene and an Indian funeral 
could here be given. Soft music behind scenes. Colored lights 
should be thrown upon the scene making a very effective tab- 
leau, showing interior of the tepee with Indians seen scattered 
here and there outside in the wintery forest, 

CURTAIN. 



^0 HIAWATHA, 

ACT yi. 
HIAWATHA'S DEPARTURE. 

Scenery: Shore of the lake with a forest on its margin. A 
peaceful quiet summer scene. In the distance Indian tent$, 
and nearer the tepee of Nohomis. Indians scattered here and 
there, some making a birch bark canoe in true Ojibway fashion 
others shooting at target and indulging in Indian pastime^. > 
Hiawatha standing on the lake shore. Here can be given a 
transformation and spectacular scene and tableaux, showing 
Minnehaha in the distance as an angel and hovering o'er 
them. Or, the following spectacular— Suddenly in the dis- 
tance soft low sweet music is heard (by stringed iustrq- 
ments behind the scenes), and across the lake through a 
rift in the sky is seen a bright heavenly light, growing 
brighter and brighter, then an object is seen growing;, 
more and more distinct as the music grows louder, the 
object draws nearer and the light brighter, and as the 
object comes into view it is discovered to be a birch bartc >■ 
canoe gliding toward them. In the canoe is Minnehaha 
dressed as an angel and using paddle. The soft swee.t 
music grows nearer and louder, and the halo of light sur- 
rounding her brighter as the canoe approaches. The In-^ 
dians stop their various pursuits and stand in attitudes i 
astonishment watching the canoe approach. Hiawatha 
stepping forward to the margin of the lake when Mii 

• nehaha is first seen, stands shading his eyes, expect- 
antly watching and waiting. Nokomis also comes forth 
from her tepee. Minnehaha beckons to Hiawatha. A^ 
she approaches them Hiawatha recognizing her,steps for- ! 
ward, close to the waters edge, and with hands extended 
and a smile of joy and triumph, and a look of exultation* 
waits. As the boat stops close to shore and Minnehaha 
again beckons to him, he appirently hesitates betweerr 
her and leaving his people, then again turns to her, 
with exultation. Lope, joy and deep feeling. 



[n- 

I 

?t- 
:h 

'A 



JIIAWATIIA. il 

Hiawatha: 

Oh, my angel, Minnehaha, 

Long have I been waiting for you! 

Y(ni4i is lovel}', age is lonely. 

Youth is fiery, age is frosty; 

You bring back the days departed, 

l^ou bring back my youth of passion, 

O m}' beautiful Laughing Water 

My lovely wife, my Minnehaha. 

Hkuvatha tarns first to Nokomis and then to his people, as 
thoagh loth to leivi them Then, ag%i,n looking at Minnne- 
haha, who motions to him smilingly: 

Act, Miunehaha: 

O'er the water, flying, 
Through the shining mist of moraing, 
Comts a birch 3 mni with paddles, 
liising, sinking on the water, 
Dripping, flashing in the sunshine ; 

O'er the water floating, flyin j. 
Something in the hazj. distance, 
Something in the mists of morning. 
Loomed and lifted from the water. 
Now seem id fl mating, now seemed flying, 
Coming nsarer, nearjx, nearer. 



Act, Hiawatha 



From the brow of Hiawatha 
rrone w IS every trace of sorrow. 
As th3 fog from off" th<i water. 
As the mist from 03" the meadow. 
With a smile of joy and triumph, 
With a look of exultation, 
As of one who in a v.s 011 
Sees what, is to be, but is not. 
Stood ard waited Hiawatha. 

And the noble Hiawatha, 
With his hands aloft extended, 
Held aloft in sign of welcome, 
Waited, fall of exultation. 



^^ HTA WATIIA, 

Hiawatha, to J^okomis, tenderly: 

I am going, O Nokomis, 
On a long and distant journey, 
, To the portals of the Sunset, 
To the regions of the home-wind, 
Of the Northwest wind, Keewaydin. 
Motioning to his people. 

In your watch and ward 1 leave them. 
See that never harm comes near them. 
See that never fear molests them, 
Never danger nor suspicion. 
Never want of food nor shelter. 
In the lodge of Hiawatha. 

Nokomis, sobbing. 

Farewell, O Hiawatha! 

Farewell, my child, my noble Hiawatha. 

Hiawatha, turning to Indians, 

Gitche Manitou, the Might}'^, 
Showed me in my vision, 
All the secrets of the future. 
Of the distant days that shall be. 
1 beheld the westward marches 
Of the im known crowded nations. 
All the land was full of people. 
Restless, struggling, toiling, striving. 
Speaking many tongues, yet feeling 
P)ut one heart -beat in their bosoms. 



^ HIAWATHA. 



In our woodlands rang their axes, 
Smoked their towns in all our valleys, 
Over all the lakes and rivers 
Kiished their great canoes of thunder. 

Then \ darker, drearier vision 
Passed before me, vague and cloud-like: 
I beheld our nation scattered, 
All forgetful of my counsels. 
There are great men, I have known such, 
Whom their own people understand not, 
Whom they even make a jest of. 
Stepping into canoe and drifting away. 

I am going, O my people, 
On a long and distant journey; 
Many moons and many winters 
Will have come and will have vanished, 
Ere again I meet you. 

Indian Chiefs: 

We have listened to your message, 
We have heard your words of wisdom, 
We will think on what you tell us. 

Farewell, O Hiawatha! 
All Indians, iorroiofully, watching and waving adieu. 
Farewell, Hiawatha, the beloved! 
Farewell, forever! Farewell, O Hiawatha. 
Canoe is seen disappearing in the distance. 
CURTAIN. 



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